Other Space: Shigekuni

Tuesday, July 14. 2009

This is the story of the Leen of Bendar and their journey towards their true inheritance. I might be a stranger to everyone, but I am also an eye witness, and I am telling this story as truefully as possible so that everyone will be able to benefit from it. Rybn Leruun

First Chapter

Clause One

It all began like so many other stories, and no living creature could testify against it. There was a war going on in the land of Durrassar. It had been going on for nearly twenty changes of tide that the great river Hankennso had run through. Needless to say that it was bloody, this war, as this is the nature of almost any war. It had started, also like most wars, because someone had sought a change of power.

For many generations before that time, the planet the Leen called Bendar had been ruled by two houses, the Domicile of Durrassar up north, and the House of the Rulers of Gruusch down south.

It happened so that Gruusch was known as the red land, because the reddish light of Egrumar always shone on it and gave Gruusch's inhabitants life and great comfort. Whereas Durrassar, on the other side of Bendar, was bathed in the blue light of Beruish, Bendars fourth moon. While the other three moons wandered around Bendar on their orbits, Beruish, apart from rotating around its own axis, would never move. It was fixed in the sky above Durrassar's high plateau and its capital. That led to a very bluish light at the centre of the plateau which became more and more purple toward the edges.

But now, with that total warfare, you could hardly see any light. The fighting of ground troops and hovercrafts had filled the air with so much dust and dirt that you could not see anything at all. Only at night, when the fighting slowly wore off and some silence came, you could see Beruish above you so clearly and this moon seemed to be so very near and still sadly far away.

The war had never reached Beruish, because, even though it had a breathable atmosphere, and quite a few people were actually living there, the place was of no interest to the ruler of Gruusch. Some Gruusch even feared the fourth moon and regarded it as Egrumar's evil relative, its cold brother, because it was also fixed like the red giant sun, and seemed to mock its big sister.

Bendar was also a twin star system, Egrumar having a white dwarf as a companion. And even though both Durrassar's and Gruusch's scientist had continuously protested, fear and prejudice against Beruish had ruled over Gruusch just as strong as its contemporary ruler.

But how did the Leen get from this minor dissent to years of brutal war that had cost so many lives?
Each land had always attended their own affairs, until Princess Arijaana, Firstborn of Gruusch, had fallen for the future King of Durrassar, Ferrijaan. It had become a love story many had followed with an open heart and much affection, many but Mereek. He was Arijaana's younger brother, and his combined forces of envy, jealousy and greed had led him to hatred and, at the same time, had put him in his position as the conqueror of his own homeland, and later as the invader of Durrassar. His aim had been to kill his sister, and also his brother-in-law, and anyone with them, as he regarded them as unworthy of ruling over the whole planet of Bendar.

But as many people his troops had killed and as far they had conquered the land and the capital, Mereek could still not find the one person whose death he desired so much. The Leen of Durrassar would have rather died themselves than betrayed their Queen to be to this murderer.

Yes, she was left all alone now, Arijaana, for so many years in hiding, accompanied only by her closest friend. First, just after his bonding with Arijaana and the birth of their child, Ferrijaan had believed to be able to reason with Mereek. But as mean as he was, Mereek had sent out a hatched man to murder the infant. And to his delight, while he was having a glass of fine Gruusch Broret with Ferijaan, the killer had reached the Domicile and given notice of the fulfillment of his task. Mereek who had silently be informed, had winked his servant and then, after the next glass of Broret, he held a toast, informing the horrified Ferijaan that this was his last glass ever, as he was to follow his murdered infant into Marondeynu, the afterlife. And that he could be sure, dying of a strong poison as he was, that his beloved wife would be dealt with by her affectionate brother the way she deserved it.
With enormous satisfaction, Mereek then had watched Ferijaan die in shock and horror, unable even to reach out to his attacker, dying hard due to the unbearable knowledge that was brought to him with his final breath.

Since those days, the war had never stopped. No Durrassar could look at a Gruusch without the memory of these preceding events. They were all responsible standing alonsiede their emporer fulfilling hid commands. And even though Gruusch's fighter had always been stronger and better trained, the Leen of Durrassar had resisted.

One day, the news reached Mereek that his sister had almost been captured, and he hurried to that hiding place of hers. But again, she had disappeared before he got there, and in his rage he killed the messenger and five of his loyal servants before he could stop himself and have the survivors return to their search.

On that same day, a unit of Gruusch soldiers had left their post and fled from the war that was so unjust in their eyes. They had been brought up in this war, and still somehow they had come to realise that they could no longer fight Leen against Leen, for the greed and rage and the delusion of one tyrant.

The aircraft they took belonged to their unit, but it had been damaged, so they could not bring it down where they wanted. Courageously they had wanted to head for the Fersat mountains on Beruish, to hide in the legendary caves there. No, they had no fear of the blue moon like their emperor. They believed in what was true to them and what was worth having, and therefore was worth fighting for. This war was not their war anymore; it was nothing but a giant chase.

The unit's leader, Charroon, and his second in command, and best friend, Parreeno, had been agreeing on this flight for quite some time, while they had been forced to watch the grievous diminution of their unit, day after day. And when they were only five, no persuasion had been necessary anymore to come to that final conclusion. After the last ground battle, they had looked at each other, all five of them, and with no further word had hurried toward their aircraft, and lifted off.

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